CHANDIGARH: Following allegations that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal took Rs two crore from cabinet colleague Satyendra Jain, politicians in Punjab on Sunday claimed that AAP gave tickets to ‘undeserving’ candidates in the recent assembly elections in lieu of money.
Talking with the New Indian Express, former AAP leader and now president of Apna Punjab Party, Sucha Singh Chhotepur, said, “Arvind Kejriwal should first apologize to the nation for misleading the people of this country and then if he has some morality left, he should immediately resign.”
“Kejriwal has been running AAP like a dictator and had taken action against leaders like Parshant Bhusan, Yoginder Yadav and Dr Dharamvir Gandhi besides others, stating that he had ample evidence against them, but till date he never showed the evidence to them. In my case also, his henchmen alleged that I took money which was never proved and I was shown the door by the party,’’ said Chottepur.
He said that now that Kapil Mishra, Kejriwal’s own close confident till yesterday and a former minister in his cabinet, had alleged that the Delhi CM took Rs 2.50 crore from another minister Satyender Jain, he should quit, but he would not as he was a double-faced character.
He further alleged that the AAP performed so badly in the recent assembly elections as Arvind Kejriwal, through hi close confidants — the then Punjab in-charge Sanjay Singh and Co-in-charge Durgesh Pathak — sold party tickets to the rich and influential people and genuine party leaders and workers were sidelined. Last year, Chhotepur was sacked as AAP’s Punjab convener following allegations of seeking bribe for allotting party tickets. The Political Affairs Committee (PAC), the highest decision-making body of the party, showed him the way out.
Shiromani Akali Dal also demanded the immediate sacking and arrest of Arvind Kejriwal. Terming the bribery scandal as an epoch event which had finally uncovered Kejriwal’s real face, former minister and SAD general secretary Bikram Singh Majithia said AAP was being accused of corruption since long.
“We now have a person (Kapil Mishra) who was a cabinet minister in the Delhi government and had seen Kejriwal taking the bribe. Mishra has also claimed that he protested against such blatant corruption but was told to keep quiet,” he said.